How To Fill A Bobbin On A Singer Sewing Machine
Having a sewing machine at your disposal can be an amazing way to get creative with crafting projects. But for beginners, there may be a lot of questions about how to use a sewing machine and how to do basic maintenance.
One of the maintenance tasks new sewers will quickly become familiar with is filling a bobbin. Filling a bobbin is necessary when you need to change the thread on your machine. A bobbin is a small spool of thread that sits beneath the needle and feeds the thread from the top of the machine as you sew. Here’s how to successfully fill a bobbin on a Singer sewing machine.
First, thread the needle with your desired thread. This will help ensure the bobbin is filled with the correct thread and will also help thread the bobbin itself. Make sure the spool of thread is left above the top of the machine. Then, take a bobbin and place it onto the bobbin spindle, ensuring it’s in the correct spot.
To start filling the bobbin, turn the hand-wheel located on the right side of the machine to the right while applying slight pressure to the thread’s spool. This should cause the thread to pass through the hole in the bobbin. Wrap the thread around the bobbin two or three times, then twist the end of the thread through the loop made in the thread previously.
Next, insert the bobbin back into the bobbin spindle and, using the same hand-wheel technique, fill the bobbin up with thread. When the bobbin is filled to the recommended capacity for your particular sewing machine, remove it and trim it.
For the final step, insert the bobbin back into the bobbin spindle, ensuring it’s in the correct spot. Once the bobbin is inserted, pull the thread of the bobbin up through the slit in the top of the machine, pawing its focus in toward the machine. The thread should now be behind the needle. After a few test stitches to gauge the strength of the thread, you should be ready to sew.
Tension
It’s important that novices understand the importance of tension in sewing. Tension is the amount of pressure that your sewing machine puts on the thread as it sews. If the tension is too tight, the thread will be under more pressure than it’s intended to be, which can cause it to break during sewing. If the tension is too loose, the stitches won’t remain secure and won’t hold in place.
Different fabrics will call for different tensions. One rule of thumb is to ensure the tension is not too tight when filling a bobbin, but that it’s still tight enough to prevent the thread from coming undone. You can check this by pulling the thread up once it’s been filled in the bobbin.
Clean Bobbin Case
To fill a bobbin on a Singer sewing machine correctly, it’s important to ensure that the bobbin case is kept clean. The bobbin case can become quite dirty over time as lint and fabric particles accumulate. This can cause the bobbin to jam and affect the tension on your machine.
To clean the bobbin case, place a drop of sewing machine oil on a soft cloth, such as a microfiber cloth, and carefully clean the bobbin case. Pay special attention to the hook that the thread wraps around, as this is where lint and fabric particles can accumulate in the most significant amounts. It’s important to take your time and gently pull any lint off the hook with the cloth.
High Quality Threads
Experts also recommend using high-quality threads when trying to fill a bobbin on a Singer sewing machine. High-quality threads are more durable and better able to withstand the tension of sewing. They’ll also be much less likely to break, jam the bobbin case, or become tangled.
When it comes to choosing the right thread for a project, it’s always best to select a thread specifically for the type of fabric you’re sewing. This will ensure that your chosen thread is the strongest and most suitable for your project. It’ll also ensure your stitches and tension remain consistent throughout the entire process.
Testing the Stitches
When the bobbin is filled, experts recommend doing a few test stitches to be sure that the thread and tension are suitable for your project. You can do this by putting a piece of scrap fabric and testing the thread with a few stitches. This will help to ensure that the stitches you sew with your Singer machine look consistent and even.
Bobbin Storage
Once you’ve filled the bobbin, experts suggest storing the bobbin in a plastic bag or container. This will help to keep the thread clean, humidity-free, and free from dirt and debris that can cause the thread to jam.
Safety
When filling a bobbin on a Singer sewing machine, it’s important to practice safety. Make sure your hands are away from the needle and that you’re not placing too much pressure on the hand-wheel. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally catch your hand on the needle and cause any harm.
Correct Notions
If your Singer sewing machine is not filling the bobbin properly, it could be the result of using the wrong notions. Depending on the type of sewing machine, different sized bobbins and notions may be required. If your machine is having difficulty filling bobbins, make sure to replace any old notions or thread with new, and appropriate, notions.
Regular Cleansing
Finally, experts recommend regularly cleaning your Singer sewing machine. This will help prevent lint, dirt, and dust from accumulating and interfering with the tension or causing the bobbin to jam. Depending on how often you use your machine, it should be cleaned at least once every six weeks.
Preparing the Fabric
When preparing fabric for sewing, experts suggest washing and pressing it first. This will make the fabric look nicer and will also help to make sure that the stitches turn out neat and even. They also suggest using straight pins when pinning fabrics to ensure that the fabric remains securely in place.
Choose Suitable Needles
When sewing, be sure to use needles that are appropriate for your fabric. Heavyweight fabrics, for example, often require sharp needles. Meanwhile, lightweight fabrics or those with delicate or slippery fabrics should use a ballpoint or stretch needle. Test the stitch with the chosen needle before using it on the entire project.
Detailed Seams
To finish seams and keep fabric edges neat, experts recommend using seam binding. Seam binding is a type of fabric tape designed to help secure and finish seams. It’s important to choose the right seam binding for the fabric and garment being sewn, as this will help ensure that the seams turn out neat and even.
